Atlantans Together Against Crime (ATAC) gather the last Monday of every month in neighborhoods around the city to raise awareness about violent crimes in the city that have been on the rise in recent years.

While most break-ins are by non-professionals that are desperate and dangerous, only about 20% of homes in the U.S. have security systems in place, but more often than not attempted burglars and thieves will halt their efforts when a security system is triggered.

Atlanta has a wide range of safe, family-friendly neighborhoods, so why is the city often pictured as dangerous? The answer probably lies with the violent crime rate in some of the poorest neighborhoods. However, these areas, which plague any large metropolitan area, are for the most part self-contained. Many neighborhoods in the area are actually extremely safe and offer a variety of amenities for all types of residents – so here we take a look at some of the safest and best places to live in Atlanta.

Vinings

Vinings is located just across the Chattahoochee River from Atlanta proper in Cobb County. This thriving community of 9,700 residents lies just off Old U.S. 41 and boasts one of the lowest crime rates in the entire Atlanta area. In fact, the average crime rate here is less than half of the national average.Vinings also features convenient amenities such as nearby restaurants, shops and parks. Spacious and beautiful, residents do not feel the congestion of downtown but still have easy access to everything Atlanta has to offer.

Buckhead

After Downtown and Midtown, Buckhead comprises the third largest financial district in Atlanta. It is located in the northern part of the city proper. As a place to live, it is exciting and surprisingly safe, considering its proximity to the downtown area of the city – the overall crime rate is 9 percent lower than the national average, and the city is safer than 92 percent of Georgia’s other cities. Buckhead features a vibrant mix of restaurants and shops that make it a favorite nighttime destination for people from all over the city. There are also 20 parks within a mile of Buckhead’s center, making it a great destination to relax in the daytime.

West Paces Ferry

West Paces Ferry is not a city; rather, an area of Northside Atlanta that has come to stand for good living. It is a quiet sanctuary in Northside, located just off I-75 in Cobb County. The crime rate in West Paces Ferry is extremely low; as it lies next to Buckhead, the area’s crime statistics are often combined. Full of rich history, Pace’s Ferry was once a historic river ferry across the Chattahoochee River that gave the area its name. And today, West Paces Ferry Road is the proud site of the Georgia Governor’s mansion.

Druid Hills

Druid Hills is located within Dekalb County in the mid-western area of Atlanta city proper, and is well known for being the location for both Emory University and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. The crime rate in Druid Hills is extremely low, only .16 crimes per capita each day, and most are petty theft and minor property crimes. There are 14 parks within Druid Hills as well as a number of restaurants and shopping areas that make the area highly desirable.

Chastain Park

Originally known as North Fulton Park, Chastain Memorial Park bears the distinction of being the largest city park in Atlanta. The area surrounding the park, known as Chastain Park, is a highly desirable neighborhood with less than 3,000 residents. The crime rate in Chastain Park is very low; in fact, it is one of the safest neighborhoods in Atlanta. Usually calculated in Buckhead’s figures as well, Chastain Park’s crime rate is lower than all but 8 percent of other Georgia cities.

Those who are looking for a safe place to live in Atlanta can find great neighborhoods in all areas of the city. By comparing amenities and crime rates, it is easy to find a good place to live, work and raise a family.

From time immemorial, people have been taking steps to safeguard their homes from intruders and malefactors. Indeed, archeologists have found lock-and-key devices in Assyrian ruins and strongboxes owned by ancient Romans. Once communications and information technology advanced sufficiently in the 20th century, people began to call upon alarm security services to install systems employing pass codes and featuring loud alarms that would sound when any unauthorized person tried to enter.

There are now there are plenty of ways that you can take action personally to enhance your level of home security without necessarily partnering with a professional company. This is particularly important in Atlanta, which has property crime rates well above the national average.

The growing smarthome industry provides amazing functionality at competitive price points and in ways that the ordinary homeowner can use without enlisting dedicated contractors. Home security is one of the industries that has been thereby transformed. By using wireless communications technology and clear, robust interfaces, today’s products make it easy for you to personally configure a customized solution that inexpensively fulfills your criteria.

As your needs grow, it’s trivial to expand upon the capabilities of your automated security system simply by adding extra capacity or replacing some components of your system. You can stitch together cameras, locks, access control panels and other pieces of hardware to create a whole that’s much greater than the sum of its parts. For example, your front door can send you a text message whenever someone rings your doorbell. The automatic detection of windows being opened or motion taking place in a room is commonplace today but would have been impossible or prohibitively expensive for homeowners in past years.

Many previous security systems would automatically contact the police in certain cases, but homeowners were kept out of the loop until the police or the alarm monitoring company got in touch with them. Nowadays, you’ll be able to read alerts sent to your phone automatically by your security setup in real time as situations develop. What’s more, you’ll have it within your power to evaluate the information presented and take the decision of whether or not to call the authorities.

Besides the actions of criminals and intruders, you can use modern technology to stay apprised of other worrisome situations that may occur. Fires, floods and power outages are examples of hazards affecting your property that you probably wish to know about as soon as they occur. With a security installation that you can monitor from afar, you’ll be able to communicate with emergency services or anyone else who can deal with the event and prevent property damage.

If you’re unfamiliar or uncomfortable with this advanced technology, then a large firm like ADT may be the way to go. This organization partners with local installers, including those within the Atlanta area, so that you can benefit from all the protections of modern equipment without having to set it up yourself. ADT provides continuous, 24/7 alarm monitoring service. To save a few bucks, you may wish to opt instead for a solution from Frontpoint Security, which will send you everything you need but requires you to install it yourself.

For the ultimate in customization, however, it might be best to source all components yourself and arrange them in the way you want them although you’ll probably have to forgo a dedicated monitoring service if you decide to do so. Perhaps the easiest option is to obtain an all-in-one device, like the Canary: It combines HD video capture, motion detection, night vision and alarm capabilities all for a price of around $200.

Those looking to delve deeply into each aspect of their security systems can instead consider tying together parts from D-Link, Nest, Honeywell, Belkin, Insteon and the myriad other manufacturers who have eagerly entered the home automation space. With an appropriate smart hub, like the Samsung SmartThings Hub or the VeraLite, you’ll be able to finely and precisely control all these devices. These two hubs each cost about $100.

Of course, you shouldn’t forget about common-sense precautions that you can take to make your home a less tempting target:

Make sure you lock all your doors and keep the property well-lit especially at night.

If you’ll be away from home for an extended period of time, don’t advertise this fact.

Ask a friend or neighbor to pick up your mail while you’re away, and try to keep the house in such a state that any casual observer would think that it’s currently occupied.

This is where automated home systems are particularly handy as you can configure your lights, audio system, television and other appliances to turn on and off as though they were being used normally by the inhabitants.

Ordinary people now have it within their power to adopt a level of home security that was reserved for millionaires in past decades or was not available at all. There’s little doubt that new models coming on the market in the future will have larger feature sets even as prices drop. This empowering technology means that people can take charge of their own safety and aren’t completely at the mercy of outside entities, government agencies or malevolent criminals.